Vigilantes, popularly thought to be a phenomenon of the far western frontier, were active in several communities Minnesota and other states in the Midwest in the nineteenth century, long after the frontier had passed. Vigilance committees emerged to combat acts of lawlessness that could not be controlled by the county sheriff whose office was not adequately funded or staffed. They were formal organizations with members, officers, and governing charters.

One such organization was the Waseca County Horse Thief Detective Society, which was formed in 1862 to fight horse rustling. It was dissolved in 1880. It operated under a written constitution, its members paid dues and elected officers, and it even held meetings in the county court house.

It is the subject of the following article by Patrick B. Nolan, who received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Minnesota in 1971. This article was a chapter in Dr. Nolan's thesis, which was published as a book by Garland Publishing company in 1987.